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Weekend Rewind: 4 takeaways from Week 8

Cardinal Newman can clinch the District 7-3A title with a victory over American Heritage. (Photo by Gary Coronado)

Cardinal Newman earned a victory over Pahokee to claim the inside track at a district title. American Heritage bounced back from its loss to the Blue Devils with a convincing win against King’s Academy. Dwyer just kept on rolling, breezing past Lake Worth. Seminole Ridge kept its playoff hopes alive with a victory Friday. And West Boca Raton clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2010 after beating Atlantic.

First, here are some of the headlines on PBGametime from Week 8:

* Cardinal Newman took control of District 7-3A race with an impressive victory over Pahokee. (Game Report) (Photos)

* Palm Beach Gardens used a strong performance from its defense to beat Jupiter and clinch the District 9-8A title. (Game Report) (Photos)

* A potent running game led Palm Beach Central to a blowout win over John I. Leonard on Thursday. (Game Report) (Photos)

* West Boca clinched a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2010 with a win against Atlantic. (Game Report)

* Glades Central never had much of a chance against a nationally ranked Fort Lauderdale-University. (Game Report)

* Elsewhere, Seminole Ridge ran past Wellington … Dwyer moved to 8-0 in another rout … Shamar Jackson’s three touchdowns led Royal Palm Beach to a win over Forest Hill … Park Vista cruised to a victory against Spanish River … Luis Martinez’s arm led Santaluces pastBoca Raton … Finally, find the rest of the recaps from Thursday’s games and Friday’s gamesin full roundups.

In addition to all of that coverage, we have a new and improved mobile PBGametime site, which you can check out on your phones at m.pbgametime.com.

Glades Central won’t be in next week’s Top 10. Which team will take the Raiders’ spot — West Boca or Cardinal Newman? How far will Pahokee drop after its disappointing loss to the Crusaders? Will the top three ever change? Dwyer, Fort Pierce Central and Park Vista just keep on rolling, as they all took care of business again this week.

4 takeaways1. Did Week 8 help clear up the District 7-3A playoff picture?
Not really. If anything, this week’s results just made it more confusing. Pahokee could have clinched a district title with a victory over the Crusaders and an American Heritage win against King’s Academy. Only one of those things happened, as the Blue Devils fell to Cardinal Newman. Now, the Crusaders can clinch the district title with a win over the Stallions in two weeks. But if Cardinal Newman loses to American Heritage and Pahokee beats King’s Academy, a three-team tiebreaker would be needed to determine the two playoff teams. Do you have a headache yet? I do.

2. Is it time to panic for Glades Central?
This question surfaced earlier in the year after a blowout loss to Dwyer in the season opener. Well, the question is back. The Raiders have lost two in a row and suffered a 35-point defeat on their home field to University on Friday. This is definitely not the Glades Central team we have grown accustomed to watching, but the Raiders should still make the playoffs. However, if Glades Central makes the playoffs, it will be as the District 7-4A runner-up. This is not a good thing, as the Raiders face the probability of playing Miami-Washington, the No. 1 team in the state and nation, in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs. So, it’s probably time for Glades Central fans to start worrying.

3. How good is Palm Beach Central?
The Broncos entered the season with high expectations, but those quickly disappeared after an 0-2 start. Since then, Palm Beach Central has turned things around, going 4-1 since that point. The Broncos’ ground game is very impressive in person, as the offense features the county’s leading rusher, Tommy McDonald, dual-threat quarterback Kemar Downer and one of the best offensive lines in the area. If you want to load the box, Palm Beach Central has 6-foot-2 wide receiver Rudolph St. Germain that can make defenses pay for playing man-to-man coverage. An offense that was once struggling at the start of the year is now a conundrum for opposing defenses. The Broncos’ final two games of the season, which come against Park Vista and Palm Beach Gardens, will give us a good indication of where Palm Beach Central stands.

4. Glades Day deserves credit
Not many people expected the Gators to have a great season after losing coach Pete Walker and record-breaking running back Kelvin Taylor. But Glades Day is on its way to another superb year. The Gators are 7-0 and clinched the District 7-2A title Friday. Coach Eric Pitts has done a good job of keeping the physical identity that Walker established.

How’d Anthony do?

Anthony’s predictions record: 25-3Best pick: I missed the Palm Bay-Bayside vs. Port St. Lucie score by just three points. I predicted Bayside to win 38-14, but the actual score was 41-14.